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Radiation Plant Physiology Lab
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A plant physiology lab that uses radioisotopes to visualize how substances move inside plants.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing is knowing.
The Radiation Plant Physiology Lab uses radioisotopes to study how nutrients and photosynthetic products move inside plants.
Using radioisotopes, the lab has developed technology to observe inorganic substances and photosynthetic products inside plants in real time without damaging them.
With this and other technologies, the lab aims to clarify how substances move inside plants.
Its goal is to develop crops that can grow on farmland with little fertilizer, in arid regions, and in highly saline soil.
Key terms
- Radioisotope
- An atom that emits radiation. Used as a tracer, it makes it possible to follow where a substance has moved
- Photosynthetic products
- Organic compounds, such as sugars, that plants make through photosynthesis. They are transported from the leaves to the roots and fruits
- Scintillator
- A material that emits light when struck by radiation. It converts the distribution of radiation into a light image
NewsLab news
A PhD student received the Paper Encouragement Award from the journal RADIOISOTOPES
Published a paper showing the role of the transporter SOS1 in sodium exclusion from roots
Published a paper analyzing the distribution of phosphorus inside poplar using RI imaging
Published a paper clarifying the route and destination of photosynthetic products in soybean
Published a paper comparing and analyzing the transport of photosynthetic products in soybean
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses radiation imaging to make the dynamic activity of plants visible, uncovering how life works while also tackling challenges facing society. Its research currently centers on the following main themes.
*Illustrative imageRadioisotope Imaging Technology
The lab has developed and operates its own luminescence imaging system based on scintillators (RRIS), which makes it possible to observe in real time how carbon, sodium, phosphorus, and other elements move inside living plants.
*Illustrative imageElement Transport in Plants
The lab investigates how plants selectively absorb minerals and redistribute them within the body. By combining RI imaging with molecular biology methods, it aims to clarify when, where, and how nutrients are transported.
*Illustrative imageResponses to Environmental Stress
The lab investigates how plants control the movement of elements to survive under stresses such as salt damage and nutrient deficiency. Its work includes clarifying the mechanism by which plants export harmful sodium from their roots.
*Illustrative imageRestoring Agriculture in Fukushima
Since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the lab has continued research to clarify how radioactive cesium moves in farmland and how plants take up cesium from the soil.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Radiation Plant Physiology Lab include faculty, researchers, doctoral and master's students, secretaries and administrative assistants, academic support staff, and technical assistants.As of 2025
- ProfessorKeitaro TanoiPublications ↗
- Project Professor中西 友子
- Associate ProfessorNatsuko I KobayashiPublications ↗
- Project Associate Professor金 鍾明
- Assistant ProfessorYuko KuritaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Soybean Plants in the Field ( )” United Soybean Board / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Radioisotope Imaging Technology: “FZU scintillators 1” René Volfík / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Element Transport in Plants: “Nahaufnahme von Reissetzlingen vor der Aussaat” Myrmux / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Responses to Environmental Stress: “Salinity” USDA Employee / Public domain (cropped)
- Restoring Agriculture in Fukushima: “Site Visits in the Fukushima Prefecture ( )” IAEA Imagebank / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Pedosphere Science Lab): “Soil profile 0-125cm” Mclund / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Food Biostructure Lab): “CSIRO ScienceImage 296 Protein Crystals Use in XRay Crystallography” division, CSIRO / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Plant Functional Engineering Lab): “Arabidopsis thaliana sl13” Stefan.lefnaer / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Bioregulation Science Lab): “3-day-old buckwheat sprouts” V.Boldychev / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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